IRS phone scammers target Gardner

Gardner, MA | August 30, 2016: Just the other day, I got a call on my cell phone from an official sounding "IRS agent" letting me know there is a warrant out for my arrest unless I pay up right away. And to scare me some more, he said this was my "final warning". This is just one tactic scammers are using to catch people off guard.

In Gardner, the scammers actually targeted the Gardner police dispatch lines and managed to scrape the police dept's caller id info and use it as their own. Now the scammer's caller id shows up as the Gardner Police Dept on a resident's phone, making the call seem even more real to potential victims. The town of Gardner has sent a reverse 911 call warning its residents and business owners.

The best advice - just hang up. The IRS and law enforcement will never call you by phone to issue arrest warrants or demand payment. Once the scammers realize you're not a vulnerable potential victim, they will stop calling.

Laura Heffernan
Vice President
lheffernan@shredabox.com